Rain poured steadily outside, tapping against the window of Seraphina Vale's small apartment.
The room smelled faintly of melted candle wax and old paper. On the wooden floor, Seraphina sat cross-legged with an ancient book open in front of her.
She stared at the chalk circle she had carefully drawn.
Strange symbols surrounded it, symbols copied directly from the book.
Seraphina sighed and pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear.
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," she murmured.
The book claimed the ritual could summon a being from the shadow realm.
Obviously, she didn't believe that.
She was an history student, not someone who believed in supernatural stories. Still, the book had fascinated her the moment she saw it hidden deep inside the university archives.
It was old. Much older than most of the texts in the library.
And strangely… no one seemed to know where it came from.
Curiosity had kept her awake for three nights straight studying it.
And tonight, during a thunderstorm of all nights, she had finally decided to try the ritual.
Just to prove to herself that it was fake.
Thunder rumbled outside.
Seraphina glanced nervously at the window before lighting the final candle.
Flames flickered around the chalk circle.
The room felt unusually quiet.
She picked up the book again and read the final line.
"From the depths of darkness, I call upon the ruler of shadows… reveal yourself."
The words sounded strange leaving her mouth.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Seraphina let out a long breath that she didn't realise she was holding.
"Yes,I figured it out."
She shook her head and reached forward to blow out the candles.
But before she could, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped.
Seraphina froze.
The candle flames began flickering wildly.
A cold wind brushed across her skin.
"That's weird"
All the windows were closed.
Then she noticed something that made her stomach twist.
The shadows on the walls were moving.
Not because of the candles.
They were shifting… slowly crawling across the room.
Her heartbeat started racing.
"Okay… that's not funny anymore."
A voice spoke behind her.
Deep.
Calm.
And very real.
"Who summoned me?"
Seraphina's body went completely still.
Slowly, she turned around.
A man stood near the window.
She was absolutely certain he hadn't been there before.
He was tall—much taller than her—with dark hair and sharp features. A long black coat hung over his shoulders, blending almost perfectly with the darkness around him.
But his eyes…
His eyes were glowing red.
Seraphina scrambled backward on the floor.
"Who are you?!" she demanded, her voice shaking.
The man looked around the room before his gaze landed on the chalk circle.
Then he looked at her.
His expression turned cold.
"You summoned me."
"I did not!" she quickly said. "This was just some old ritual from a book!"
The man took a step closer.
Something about him made the air feel heavier.
It became harder to breathe.
Seraphina's heart pounded loudly in her chest as he stopped in front of her.
He studied her face for a long moment.
Then he frowned slightly.
"Strange."
Before she could react, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Pain shot through her arm.
Seraphina cried out.
A dark mark slowly appeared on her skin.
It looked like twisted shadows forming a strange symbol.
"What did you do to me?!" she shouted, trying to pull her hand away.
The man stared at the mark.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.
"You foolish human."
Fear crawled down Seraphina's spine.
"What does this mean?" she asked.
The man looked at her again.
His glowing eyes seemed almost amused now.
"Do you have any idea who you summoned tonight?"
Seraphina shook her head.
The man leaned slightly closer.
"I am Kael Draven," he said.
"The Shadow King."
Lightning flashed outside the window.
For a moment, the entire room lit up.
Seraphina felt her stomach drop.
The man glanced once more at the mark on her wrist.
Then his lips curved into a faint smile.
"Well," he said calmly.
"This is unfortunate."
Seraphina swallowed nervously.
"Unfortunate for who?"
Kael's eyes darkened.
"For you."
He tightened his grip slightly before saying the words that made her blood run cold.
"That mark means your soul is now bound to mine."
And suddenly, Seraphina realized something terrifying.
The ritual had worked.
And she had just summoned the most dangerous creature imaginable.